1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to data transmission in a network. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and systems for distributing packets across available output paths in the network.
2. Description of the Background Art
A typical data communication network includes multiple host computers that are linked to each other by a combination of network devices and transmission channels. The data communication network may also include servers, and the like. The network devices are generally switches or routers, which help in transmission of data from a source to a destination in the network. Data is generally transmitted in the form of data packets.
In some cases, there are several output paths available for transmission of a data packet from the source device of the packet to the destination device of the packet. A network device selects the best output path for this purpose, and subsequently transmits the data packet along this output path. The best output path is selected, based on various factors such as the transmission capacity of the output path, output path utilization, and the time required for packet transmission. Hence, when the network device receives a stream of packets from the source, the device attempts to transmit the packets across the best available output path. However, in this attempt, the packet load is not always distributed in a balanced manner and some output paths may be over-utilized and some may be under-utilized.